How do you solve poverty?

4 Will evildoers never learn— those who devour my people as men eat bread and who do not call on the LORD?
5 There they are, overwhelmed with dread, for God is present in the company of the righteous.
6 You evildoers frustrate the plans of the poor, but the LORD is their refuge.

Isaiah chapter 14, NIV84

Those with money many times prey upon the poor – check cashing charges, fees for “plastic” money and money orders, cash advance charges, ever rising rent when the costs to the owner stay the same, higher prices for those trapped in the inner city without transportation for the same goods that cost less in neighborhoods that have customers that can shop around, lack of the volume discounts the rich enjoy, higher interest rates for loans to those who have the least money to pay for it.

Satan’s kingdom (fear-based, selfishness-based and money-based) is founded on “what can I get out of you?”  Jesus’ kingdom (love-based) is founded on “what can I give to you?”

I believe heaven’s economy will be the opposite of ours.  We will dream of what we can do for others, ask Jesus for the resources to do it, work with those resources in His strength and give away what we make, our only payment is the joy we receive when we give joy to others.

What would happen if we stopped giving hand-outs that are barely enough to survive on, and we made helping the poor become self-sustaining the same priority President John F. Kennedy gave making the United States the first on the moon?  What about asking those who are challenged what they thought we could do to help them?  What if we stopped being prejudice and gave jobs to those who would otherwise end up in jail because they can’t find someone who will hire them for honest work?

What would happen if I actually went about tangibly demonstrating the actions of the love of Jesus instead of just singing about it in my church or car?

I invite you to discover how you and I can allow Jesus to lift our challenged brothers and sisters.  I invite you to discover:  The Open Table  http://www.theopentable.org/

Giving and Receiving

Just a few minutes ago I had the most unusual, and baffling and joy-filled experience.  My wife and my younger son and I were dining at an Italian place we like.  A gentleman we had never met before was waiting for his take-out order and asked us about my son’s hoodie with the Indiana Colt’s logo on it.  We told him that my wife’s family lives in Indiana and that we had followed Peyton Manning and Tony Dungy.  I was trying to get up the nerve to share Jesus with this gentleman using Tony Dungy as a starting point.  I chickened out and didn’t say anything and the man reached over and picked up our check.  It was for over $35 and to me that is a lot of money.  So I took the check back from him.  He took it back from me and said, “I’ve been blessed, now you go bless others”.

I was stunned.  This has never happened to me before.  I asked the man if he was a Christian.  I don’t remember exactly how he answered.  My wife said later that he probably was a Christian because not that many people say, “I’ve been blessed”.

Wow, God is awesome!  This man is awesome!  I’ve never felt like this before.  He mentioned that I could leave a nice tip.  We left $10.

This man doesn’t know that today was the last day of my job.  Or, that my wife is going from 40 hours to 20 hours per week.  But God knows.  And this man obeyed God.  Because this man obeyed God, God was blessed, the man was blessed and I and my family were blessed.

I gave this kind man my blog information and I hope he reads this.  Thank you very much, sir, we appreciate your generosity, especially at this time.

I am being considered for another job with another company right now.  I would be grateful if anyone who reads this would choose to pray for me to get the job that God wants me to get.  (Also, I would be glad to pray for you about what concerns you if you would like to leave a comment).

What a day!  Thank you Jesus!  Thank you kind man!  And thank you for reading this.  Have a blessed day.

Courageous Christian Father

A Christian Blog about the Bible, Theology, God, Jesus Christ, Christian Music, Christian Movies, Family, Cats, Odd Holidays and much more.

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And there was given him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages, should serve him: his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed. And the kingdom and dominion, and the greatness of the kingdom under the whole heaven, shall be given to the people of the saints of the Most High, whose kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and all dominions shall serve and obey him. Daniel 7:14,27

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